Written Answers Wednesday 8 July 2009

Scottish Executive

Animal Welfare

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24398 by Roseanna Cunningham on 9 June 2009, what its most recent timescale is for laying before the Parliament secondary legislation regulating the use of snares.

Roseanna Cunningham: I hope to be able to lay an order amending legislative provisions on snaring before the Scottish Parliament before the end of the summer recess.

  Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make compulsory the fitting of ID tags on snares allowing the operators to be identified and, if so, how the operators of snares without ID tags will be identified and prosecuted.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government intends to make ID tags on snares compulsory. It will be the responsibility of individual police forces to determine how to investigate any contraventions of the law.

  Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it intends to make failing to check the action of a snare before setting it an offence and, if so, how the failure to check the action of a snare can be proved.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Scottish Government intends to make failure to check the action of a snare before setting the snare an offence. It is intended that this new offence will assist in prosecuting the offence of setting a snare which has a self-locking action by removing the defence that the person who set the snare was not aware that the snare had a self-locking action.

Cancer

Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people aged (a) 18 and under, (b) 19 to 30, (c) 31 to 40 and (d) over 40 have been diagnosed with (i) non-melanoma and (ii) melanoma skin cancer in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: : To provide information on the age groups requested at NHS board level could lead to individuals being identified, however data on the numbers of diagnoses for people aged (a) 40 and under and (b) 41 and over, by NHS board, have been made available from the Scottish Parliament’s Information Centre (Bib. number 48569).

  Data on the number of people diagnosed with malignant melanoma of the skin and non-melanoma skin cancer, by NHS board and five-year age band, summed over the period of 2002-06 can be found on the Information Services Division cancer information website at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1048.html.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died from (a) non-melanoma and (b) melanoma skin cancer in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: : (a) Data on the number of people who have died from non-melanoma skin cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2007, on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1048.html .

  (b) Data on the number of people who have died from malignant melanoma of the skin are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2007, on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1048.html.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people in each NHS board area has (a) been diagnosed with and (b) died from (i) non-melanoma and (ii) melanoma skin cancer, compared to the national average, in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: : (a) Data on the percentage (expressed as crude rate: number of people per 100,000 of population) of people diagnosed with (i) malignant melanoma and (ii) non-melanoma skin cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2006, on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1048.html .

  (b) Data on the percentage (expressed as crude rate: number of people per 100,000 of population) of people who died from (i) malignant melanoma and (ii) non-melanoma skin cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2007, on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1048.html.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist nurses dealing with skin cancer there have been in each NHS board in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: : The most recent information held by NHS Information Services Division indicates that in 2007 NHS Lothian had one full-time equivalent specialist nurse for skin cancer and NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde has 0.5 whole-time equivalent skin cancer nurse. It is important to note that the specialist nurse role is seen in the wider context of a multi-professional team that includes medical staff and allied health professionals in caring for those with a range of conditions. NHS boards are asked to consider the role of both specialist nurses and nurses with a broader remit working in the community, as part of their plans to make sure that services meet the needs of their resident population.

  Ross Finnie (West of Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on specialist skin cancer services in each of the last five years, broken down by NHS board and type of specialist service.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. Funding of services for individuals with skin cancer is primarily the responsibility of NHS boards to plan, in the light of the needs of their resident population, from the unified budgets which are allocated to them from the Scottish Government.

  Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been diagnosed with lung cancer in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: : Data on the number of people diagnosed with lung cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2006, on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1451.html .

  Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have died from lung cancer in each of the last 10 years, broken down by NHS board.

Nicola Sturgeon: : Data on the number of people who died from lung cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2007, on the Information Services Division website at http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1451.html .

  Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of people in each NHS board area compared to the national average (a) were diagnosed with and (b) died from lung cancer in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: : (a) Data on the percentage (expressed as crude rate: number of people per 100,000 of population) of people diagnosed with lung cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2006, on the Information Services Division website at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1451.html.

  (b) Data on the percentage (expressed as crude rate: number of people per 100,000 of population) of people that died from lung cancer are available for Scotland by NHS region and NHS board, for years 1985 to 2007, on the Information Services Division website at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1451.html.

  Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it is taking to improve the five-year survival rate for people with lung cancer.

Nicola Sturgeon: Better Cancer Care: an Action Plan, published in October 2008, outlines the Scottish Governments’ commitments to improving cancer care and outcomes for all those with a cancer diagnosis, including lung cancer. The Scottish Cancer Taskforce has been established to oversee and coordinate all of the commitments outlined within Better Cancer Care .

  Early detection of lung cancer is crucial in improving patient outcomes. The Scottish Government has provided significant support and funding for the development of new "quick-reference" guidelines to support more effective referrals by GPs. We are also supporting the delivery of a range of local and national campaigns which communicate messages about preventative measures and improve symptom awareness.

  Stopping smoking is the single most important thing that people can do to significantly reduce their risk of lung cancer and the Scottish Government has led the way in taking action here. Scotland was the first UK country to ban smoking in public places and the publication of Scotland’s Future is Smoke-free: A Smoking Prevention Action Plan will continue to lead the way in ensuring the vision of a smoke free Scotland is made a reality.

  Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many specialist nurses dealing with lung cancer there were in each NHS board in each of the last five years.

Nicola Sturgeon: The information requested is only available for 2007 and 2008 and is presented in the following table:

  

Clinical Nurse Specialists –
Lung Cancer
Working-Time Equivalent 2007
Head Count 
2007
Working-Time Equivalent 2008
Head Count 
2008


NHS Borders
-
-
1.0
1


NHS Fife
1.0
1
2.0
2


NHS Lothian
2.0
2
2.8
4


NHS Highland
1.0
1
1.0
1


NHS Grampian
1.0
1
-
-


NHS Orkney
-
-
-
-


NHS Tayside
2.0
2
2.0
2


NHS Western Isles
-
-
-
-


NHS Shetland
-
-
-
-


NHS Ayrshire and Arran
2.0
2
2.0
2


NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
7.0
7
4.8
5


NHS Lanarkshire
3.5
4
3.0
3


NHS Forth Valley
1.0
1
0.6
1


NHS Dumfries and Galloway
-
-
1.0
1


Total
20.5
22
20.2
22



  Source: Information Services Division.

  Jamie Stone (Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how much has been spent on specialist lung cancer services in each of the last five years, broken down by (a) NHS board and (b) type of service.

Nicola Sturgeon: This information is not held centrally. Funding of services for individuals with lung cancer is primarily the responsibility of NHS boards to plan, in the light of the needs of their resident population, from the unified budgets which are made available to them from the Scottish Government.

  George Foulkes (Lothians) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what the reported incidence of mouth cancer was in each of the last five years for which figures are available.

Nicola Sturgeon: : Data on the incidence of both mouth cancer and oral cavity cancer are available for Scotland, for years 1985 to 2006, on the Information Services Division website at:

  http://www.isdscotland.org/isd/1446.html.

Dentistry

Karen Gillon (Clydesdale) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of (a) adults and (b) children in the Clydesdale parliamentary constituency is registered with an NHS dentist.

Nicola Sturgeon: At 31 December 2008, 68.7% of children and 61.1% of adults were registered with an NHS dentist within the Clydesdale parliamentary constituency.

  This does not represent the percentage of people in the Clydesdale parliamentary constituency who are registered. Registration (numerator) are based on the postcode of the practice where the patient has registered with a general dental practitioner. The population (denominator) is based on where the patient resides.

Drug Misuse

Gavin Brown (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people had a charge proved in court for supply of drugs offences in the Lothian and Borders police force area in each year since 2003, broken down by type of drug.

Fergus Ewing: The available information is given in the following table.

  Persons with a charge proved for supply/possession with intent to supply drugs offences1, by drug type in Lothian and Borders police force area, 2003-04 to 2007-08.

  

Drug Type
2003-04
2004-05
2005-06
2006-07
2007-08


Heroin 
16
63
41
41
63


Cocaine 
1
13
8
10
22


Ecstasy 
6
12
8
7
13


Amphetamines 
1
9
4
9
11


Cannabis 
19
51
30
41
29


Other Class A
1
4
0
5
1


Other Class B
0
2
0
0
0


Other Class C
0
7
4
1
5


Not recorded2
126
133
173
118
106


Total
170
294
268
232
250



  Source: Scottish Government court proceedings database.

  Notes:

  1. Where main offence.

  2. Type of drug not recorded against the offence.

Flood Prevention

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S3W-24182 by Roseanna Cunningham on 8 June 2009, when it will complete consideration of the Knowle Burn Flood Prevention Scheme 2007.

Roseanna Cunningham: The Knowle Burn Flood Prevention Scheme 2007 was confirmed, without modification, by the Scottish ministers on 18 June 2009. The reasons for our decision and the report of the public local inquiry were published on 30 June 2009 and can be found at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Water/Flooding/Flood-prevention.

Health

Jackie Baillie (Dumbarton) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many people were killed or injured as a result of (a) carbon monoxide poisoning or (b) gas explosions in 2008.

Nicola Sturgeon: The General Register Office for Scotland (GROS) report that there were 17 deaths in 2008 as a result of carbon monoxide poisoning. No deaths in 2008 were due to gas explosions being mentioned on death certificates.

  According to Information Services Division (ISD) Scotland, part of NHS National Services Scotland, there were 29 patient discharges from hospital during year ending 31 March 2008 where the main diagnosis was "toxic effect of carbon monoxide". No information is available on hospital admission following a gas explosion.

  The Health and Safety Executive publish information on incidents relating to the distribution or supply of flammable gas. This can be found using the link below:

  http://www.hse.gov.uk/statistics/tables/gs1.htm.

  Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to collect data and identify where hydrotherapy pools exist to assist disabled people and people with musculoskeletal problems.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are responsible for assessing the need for hydrotherapy services in their areas and for providing or obtaining services in accordance with their assessments. Most NHS boards in Scotland provide access to hydrotherapy services. There are no plans to collect further data on the provision of hydrotherapy pools.

  Helen Eadie (Dunfermline East) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions it has had with NHS boards to identify where gaps exist in swimming pool provision for patients who could benefit from hydrotherapy.

Nicola Sturgeon: NHS boards are responsible for assessing the need for hydrotherapy services in their areas and for providing or obtaining services in accordance with their assessments. The Scottish Government has had no recent discussion with boards about provision of hydrotherapy facilities.

  Cathy Jamieson (Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many calls were taken by NHS24 in relation to rotavirus infections in the last year for which figures are available.

Nicola Sturgeon: : Callers to NHS24 present their symptoms in the first instance. These are recorded and then assessed by clinical staff for onward referral to the relevant service, when required. Callers presenting with the potential symptoms of rotavirus would therefore not be diagnosed by NHS24 and, as such, there are no figures available as to the number of calls taken by the service in relation to this infection. Callers may present with one, or some, of the symptoms of rotavirus, for example diarrhoea, but it would be inaccurate to record these as rotavirus as they may be as a result of another illness or infection.

Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is concerned that no more than five communities have acquired land since the community right to buy provisions of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 came into force.

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive how many communities have registered an interest in acquiring land under the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 in each year since it was enacted.

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will review the operation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003.

Roseanna Cunningham: Forty-five community bodies have successfully registered an interest in buying land since the Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 was implemented on 14 June 2004. The number of community bodies registering in each calendar year is five in 2004; eight in 2005; nine in 2006; 10 in 2007; 14 in 2008; and two in 2009. Within the above figures, one body registered separate interests in 2004, 2006 and 2008. A second body similarly registered separate interests in 2005 and 2007. Two community bodies are currently in the process of registering their interest and their applications are being considered by ministers.

  These 45 community bodies have made some 74 registrations in the Register of Community Interests in Land. Some community bodies have more than one registration (a registration is made in respect of land owned by one landowner).

  As the community right to buy requires a willing seller (it does not involve a compulsory purchase of registered land), there is no certainty that a landowner will want to sell the land during the period when a community body has registered its interest. The purpose of these provisions in the act is to provide communities with the opportunity of a pre-emptive right to buy the land in which it has a registered interest should the right to buy be "triggered". Community right to buy was never intended as the only way that communities achieve ownership of land.

  The right to buy has been "triggered" in respect of 22 parcels of land relating to registrations held by 15 communities. While five registered communities have acquired their desired land using the full provisions of the act, an additional two have negotiated a successful purchase after having their interest registered. Beyond that, eight further community bodies had the opportunity to acquire registered land when it was offered for sale (i.e. triggering the right to buy) but failed to purchase. One community body has also successfully purchased, by negotiation, two pieces of land following approval of their application for registration under the act.

  Experience of the practical operation of the community right to buy provisions led to revised guidance being published on 15 June 2009, which provides more hands-on advice on the required processes and procedures for community bodies, landowners, heritable creditors and third parties who may be affected by the provisions. A revised application form with provisions for re-registration, also came into force on that date.

  The Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003 has only been in effect for a relatively short period of time and we are continuing to monitor the community right to buy provisions. If there is evidence that the provisions are not working as Parliament intended then a review of the act will be considered.

Rural Affairs

Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the term translocated species used on page 37 of its Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill Consultation Document refers only to species physically transferred by humans outside their natural range or whether it could also include species such as urban gulls which have moved from their original natural habitat to man-made habitats.

Roseanna Cunningham: The term "translocated species", used on page 37 of the Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill Consultation Document, refers to species whose presence beyond their natural range results from intentional or accidental human intervention and would not be applicable to species within their natural range which make use of man-made structures in preference to, or in addition to, natural features.

  Elaine Murray (Dumfries) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what non-native species would be included in the provisions of the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932 if its provisions were extended to mammals established in the wild before 1882.

Roseanna Cunningham: Provisions of the Destructive Imported Animals Act 1932 only apply to a species which is included in an order made under section 10 of the 1932 act. The present obligation to determine whether additional species could be subject to such an order requires lengthy consideration of documentary evidence to establish whether or not the species was established in the wild in Great Britain before 1882. The Scottish Government has included proposals to amend the operation of those provisions and has also indicated those species which it would propose should be subject to the controls available under the 1932 act in the recent consultation paper on a proposed Wildlife and Natural Environment Bill, which is available at:

  http://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/Wildlife-Habitats/WildNatEnvBill.